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barry_x's review
2.0
Not much to say about this other than it did little for me. It's a novel where nothing much happens, where the characters pretty much feel sorry for themselves and it's very introspective. The chapters are quick which aids reading but it didn't feel like a quick read as I wasn't enthralled. The chapters are each from different characters perspectives which is okay but I guess now I've read it the book is largely forgettable.
pandora8655's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book through first reads. It was a really good story about a family separated by a tragic accident and now coming back together in tough times surrounding another tragic event. The story was written in a way that you get every character's perspective of the story in alternating chapters (like the way Jodi Picoult writes. I really enjoyed the story, it kept me interested the whole way through. The only thing I didnt really like was the end. I thought I knew how it was going to end and then it ended a little differently but I dont want to give anything away. I also think it might have been beneficial to read the first book Reservation Road first just so I would have more history on the characters at the beginning of the book, even though its not needed.
jeanetterenee's review against another edition
5.0
I did a quick second reading of Reservation Road prior to reading Northwest Corner. While it's not strictly necessary, I do recommend doing so if you have the time and inclination. It really enhanced my enjoyment of Northwest Corner to have the characters fresh in my mind and compare the past with the present.
When we last saw Sam Arno in Reservation Road, he was a sleepy boy of ten, asking his dad if they could go sledding later. He hadn't a clue that his life would change forever on that day.
Now Sam is a quiet, confused, surly 22-year-old UConn baseball star. His anger boils over one night in a bar, and he commits a savage act of violence. Fearing arrest, he flees to Southern California, seeking the father he hasn't seen or spoken to in twelve years. His father Dwight has made a fresh start in Santa Barbara, where no one knows about the hit-and-run death of Josh Learner all those years ago.
Sam's crisis gives us a chance to revisit some of Reservation Road's central characters and see the long-term effects of what happened twelve years ago. We get the story through the perspectives of five characters, with Dwight Arno's being the central, first-person narrative. Members of the Learner family are represented, but Northwest Corner is largely the story of what used to be the Arno family: Sam, Dwight, and his ex-wife Ruth. I found Ruth to be the most admirable character, which is quite a shift from the way I viewed her in Reservation Road. She has a lot of history to overcome, and she gives Dwight more grace than he deserves. Ruth has the additional burden of handling a serious health crisis alone, and she does so with strength and dignity.
Schwartz doesn't hit you in the face with what you're supposed to get from the book. These are damaged people doing what humans do. It's up to you to decide how well they've handled their pain, and what's possible for them in the future. If you have wounds of your own, always know where your tissues are. You may find yourself a little weepy. There are moments of clarity that will resonate with your experiences and, if you're lucky, show you a new way of seeing them.
This novel has greater complexity in both content and sentence structure than Reservation Road. The change in writing style does require some adjustment. For me, this wasn't a difficult adjustment to make, and I read Northwest Corner in about two days.[4.5 stars]
When we last saw Sam Arno in Reservation Road, he was a sleepy boy of ten, asking his dad if they could go sledding later. He hadn't a clue that his life would change forever on that day.
Now Sam is a quiet, confused, surly 22-year-old UConn baseball star. His anger boils over one night in a bar, and he commits a savage act of violence. Fearing arrest, he flees to Southern California, seeking the father he hasn't seen or spoken to in twelve years. His father Dwight has made a fresh start in Santa Barbara, where no one knows about the hit-and-run death of Josh Learner all those years ago.
Sam's crisis gives us a chance to revisit some of Reservation Road's central characters and see the long-term effects of what happened twelve years ago. We get the story through the perspectives of five characters, with Dwight Arno's being the central, first-person narrative. Members of the Learner family are represented, but Northwest Corner is largely the story of what used to be the Arno family: Sam, Dwight, and his ex-wife Ruth. I found Ruth to be the most admirable character, which is quite a shift from the way I viewed her in Reservation Road. She has a lot of history to overcome, and she gives Dwight more grace than he deserves. Ruth has the additional burden of handling a serious health crisis alone, and she does so with strength and dignity.
Schwartz doesn't hit you in the face with what you're supposed to get from the book. These are damaged people doing what humans do. It's up to you to decide how well they've handled their pain, and what's possible for them in the future. If you have wounds of your own, always know where your tissues are. You may find yourself a little weepy. There are moments of clarity that will resonate with your experiences and, if you're lucky, show you a new way of seeing them.
This novel has greater complexity in both content and sentence structure than Reservation Road. The change in writing style does require some adjustment. For me, this wasn't a difficult adjustment to make, and I read Northwest Corner in about two days.[4.5 stars]
maylingkuo's review against another edition
3.0
it's a quick read since chapters are incredibly short. i haven't read a novel with such short narration by various characters. it makes the book a quick read since the story advances so quickly. this book is about a family picking up the pieces after a tragic event.
anneaustex's review against another edition
3.0
A continuation with the characters from Reservation Road, this book is told from a variety of different view points. Each chapter heading carries the name of the narrator. The chapters are quite short and generally move smoothly from one telling to the next.
I think I was supposed to be moved by the resurrection that took place but the story didn't really touch me. I was wowed by The Commoner but not so much this time.
ARC
I think I was supposed to be moved by the resurrection that took place but the story didn't really touch me. I was wowed by The Commoner but not so much this time.
ARC
rebekahcraft's review against another edition
4.0
This book tells the story of two families struggling to heal after a tragic event 12 years earlier (covered in the novel, Reservation Road*). Sam and Dwight, son and father, are reunited after 12 years of silence. This time around Sam was the instigator of a bar fight gone bad and ran away from college in Connecticut to be with his father in Santa Barbara. The story is told from multiple perspectives and is raw and gripping and realistic.
*It's not necessary to read Reservation Road to understand this novel.
*It's not necessary to read Reservation Road to understand this novel.
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